At E3 earlier this year, Sony quietly snuck out an announcement of a new addition to their range of PlayStation-branded products – the Surround Sound System for PlayStation 3. An all-in-one surround sound bar, the Surround Sound System was designed with gamers in mind, and includes special audio equalization and modes that suit a wide variety of game genres for the cool price of $199.99. But in a market as competitive and varied as home entertainment components, is it really an effective solution for consumers? The answer, we found, is not really.
Sony is clearly trying to offer a simple, easily accessible solution for gamers looking to boost their audio experience. The system features a style that complements the look and feel of the PS3, specifically the matte black plastic casing and PlayStation logo on the front, but the similarities more or less end there. Specs wise, the Surround Sound System for PlayStation 3 is a no-frills solution. It has two audio drivers (left and right) and an integrated subwoofer, much unlike Sony's other sound bar solutions, which have three built-in drivers (center, left, right) and a separate subwoofer/receiver unit.
In other words, this means that the Surround Sound System for PlayStation 3 is only outputting stereo surround sound audio, although it does accept and decode Dolby Digital and Dolby DTS surround sound signals. Other surround bars, on the other hand, have some level of multichannel presentation by differentiating the center channel from the left, right, and rear audio via a dedicated center driver.
Of course, neither solution can really compete with full 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound systems with dedicated speakers for each, but at least some level of channel separation can help to create a wider, more immersive listening space, not to mention a larger dedicated subwoofer produces better bass response. Unfortunately, the Surround Sound System for PlayStation 3 is lacking in both regards.
The stereo drivers are small and underpowered, which in turn, makes the surround effect shallow and often muddled. While certainly an improvement over your TV's built-in speakers, it is hardly up to snuff with other sound bars. There are several sound field presets that alter the equalization and processing of the incoming signal – dynamic, standard, vivid, and stereo. Stereo is pretty self explanatory and the standard mode essentially just maintains a neutral tonal range to match the incoming audio, but the dynamic and vivid modes attempt to boost the EQ and processing for different applications.
Dynamic essentially widens the spectrum but boosts lows and highs specifically, whereas vivid creates the widest tonal performance, maximizing the surround sound effect.
The dynamic mode is certainly the beefiest of them all, but a lot of the audible middle ground can get lost in the shuffle, creating booming explosions and sharp highs but subdued mids. Vivid, on the other hand, delivers a more three-dimensional experience, but ultimately sound underpowered in center channel audio
There are also two distinct sound modes that are geared toward two specific use cases – nighttime use and clear discernable dialog. Night mode compresses louder elements, like explosions, so that players can enjoy a game or movie without having to scramble to find the remote when a loud action sequence starts. Similarly, the dialog mode boosts the dialog frequencies to prevent them from being lost in the surround sound mix.
These tweaks improve the listener's experience, but ultimately only mask the shortcomings of the system's low-power, stereo driver design.
The connectivity of the unit is also incredibly limited; in fact, users can only connect one optical digital TOSLINK cable and one analog RCA input at any given time. Ideally, users will use their TV as a receiver of sorts, routing all of their component connections there and delegating audio to a single optical digital output to the Surround Sound System for PlayStation 3. Unfortunately, not all users have TVs that support such a setup, and those who don't will only be able to connect two devices at once without the use of another external receiver.
The included remote is effective enough, though small and easy to lose track of. It features dedicated buttons for each of the four sound field modes, two for the night and dialog modes, as well as the standard array of volume, mute, and menu navigation controls. If you're not a fan of the packaged remote, the system is fully IR capable, so universal remote controls should be compatible. Using the remote you can make a number of tweaks to the sound, including adjustments to bass, treble, and subwoofer levels, as well as fine tune the sync and toggle speaker settings.
At the end of the day, the Surround Sound Bar for PlayStation 3 is just too limited to make it worthwhile, especially with an MSRP of $199. There are plenty of more effective, better higher performance surround bar products in a similar price range, some of which are even made by Sony. While it may appeal to consumers looking for a quick fix, a little extra research and consideration will lead to greener pastures.
SPECIFICATIONS:
| Digital input formats supported by this system |
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| AUDIO POWER SPECIFICATIONS Power Output And Total Harmonic Distortion: (FTC) for the U.S. model L + R: | With 6 ohms loads, both channels driven, from 200-20000 Hz ; rated 5 watts per channel minimum RMS power, with no more than 1 % total harmonic distortion from 250 milliwatts to rated output. |
| Amplifier section U.S. models: POWER OUTPUT (reference) L / R: Subwoofer: Canadian models: POWER OUTPUT (rated) L + R POWER OUTPUT (reference) L / R Subwoofer | 10 W (per channel at 6 ohms,1 kHz) 15 W + 15 W (at 8 ohms, 100 Hz) 8 W + 8 W (at 6 ohms, 1 kHz, 1 %THD) 10 W (per channel at 6 ohms,1 kHz) 15 W + 15 W (at 8 ohms, 100 Hz) |
| Speaker Front Speaker unit: Speaker system Speaker units Rated impedance Subwoofer unit: Speaker system Speaker Units Rated impedance | Full range, Bass reflex 50 mm x 90 mm (2 in x 3 5/8 in) 6 ohms Subwoofer system, passive radiator type 65 mm x 2 (subwoofer) 65 mm x 4 (passive radiator) 8 ohms |
| General Inputs Power requirements Power consumption | Analog (1), Digital (Optical) (1) 18 V DC (2.6 A) (100 V - 240 V AC, 50/60 Hz using the supplied AC adaptor) In standby mode: 0.5 W or less |
| Main Unit Dimensions (approx.) Mass (approx.) | 28.38 in, 3.38 in, 3.50 in (w/h/d) 2.4 kg (5 lb 5 oz) |
| AC adaptor Input Output Dimensions (approx.) Mass (approx.) | AC 100 V - 240 V, 50/60 Hz DC 18 V, 2.6 A 4.88 in, 2.13 in, 3.32 in (w/h/d) 240 g (9 oz) |
IGN Ratings for Surround Sound System for PlayStation 3.
8.0 Built Quality
- Constructed with compatible materials to the PS3.
7.0 Audio Quality
- The drivers are small & underpowered, creating a limited surround sound effect.
6.0 Features
- Few input options & the lack of a dedicated subwoofer unit limit the system.
5.0 Value
- There are far more effective solutions in this price range, some even from Sony.
6.5 Okay
OVERALL (Out of 10)
